Goodbye 2024
In my teenage years, there was a social obligation to go out on New Year’s Eve. This often meant congregating in some dismal pub, queuing at the bar for 30 minutes to get a drink, then trying to find a corner where you could stand and struggle to have a conversation with your friends, above the noise of the crowd. The evening was dull, noisy and often ended in a fight. Then, around 1:00 AM we were summarily turfed out into the street and had to make our way home. Buses always run at this time of year to serve a public need but the “drunk express” was never a pleasant means of transportation. Quite frankly the whole experience was shit but the hubris of youth meant we deluded ourselves that we were having a good time. If someone suggested something similar today, I would laugh in their face. I am happy to spend New Year’s Eve indoors and away from it all.
In my teenage years, there was a social obligation to go out on New Year’s Eve. This often meant congregating in some dismal pub, queuing at the bar for 30 minutes to get a drink, then trying to find a corner where you could stand and struggle to have a conversation with your friends, above the noise of the crowd. The evening was dull, noisy and often ended in a fight. Then, around 1:00 AM we were summarily turfed out into the street and had to make our way home. Buses always run at this time of year to serve a public need but the “drunk express” was never a pleasant means of transportation. Quite frankly the whole experience was shit but the hubris of youth meant we deluded ourselves that we were having a good time. If someone suggested something similar today, I would laugh in their face. I am happy to spend New Year’s Eve indoors and away from it all.
As for 2024 it hasn’t been an especially good year. Mrs P and I have had a lot of health issues which hopefully have now been addressed. We want to get back into the habit of having an extended weekend away each quarter in 2025. It’s nice to have social activities and events of your choice on the calendar and have something to look forward to. On a personal note my return to writing has been beneficial for my mental well being. I like setting an alarm and getting up early to write while my brain is still fresh. Once the seasonal celebrations are finally over, I am aiming to write every day in 2025 if possible. I also have some other projects to pursue which require learning new skills. It is important to keep the mind active and not to lapse into a purely sedentary and unchallenging lifestyle.
Outside of my immediate life 2025 is not looking like a good year with regard to geopolitics. However, I am not going to allow myself to be excessively anxious about it. Mrs P and I have discussed practical things that we may have to address, such as shortages or increasing inflation. Beyond that it’s really just a question of battening down the hatches and weathering the storm. By storm I mean the tsunami of bullshit that is going to hit the news cycle and the consequences of it. However, there are also some simple steps you can take to improve your state of mind and stay positive. Limiting your time on social media. Reading only the news headlines, rather than wallowing in the endless speculation and negative conjecture. I find keeping busy also helps. Sometimes, it’s best not to look too far into the future. Instead just focus on the present and take things one day at a time.
Happy New Year.
A Year in Gaming
It is customary for me to write an end of year summary of my gaming activities but I suspect that on this occasion it will be somewhat short. For me, 2024 has really hammered home the notion of the ephemeral nature of video games as well as their commercial ubiquity. The moment a game fails to satisfy for whatever reason, rather than complain or worry about it, I just move on to something else. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of games out there. I have a substantial back catalogue of games that Epic and Amazon prime regularly giveaway. I have bought numerous discounted bundles in the past, in the pious hope that I’ll play one of the games included, at some point in the future. Games may well be enjoyable and engaging but many are also disposable. That’s not to say they’re bad. While playing them you are indeed “entertained”. However, when you’re “done”, it’s amazing how you quickly find another and forget what you were previously playing.
It is customary for me to write an end of year summary of my gaming activities but I suspect that on this occasion it will be somewhat short. For me, 2024 has really hammered home the notion of the ephemeral nature of video games as well as their commercial ubiquity. The moment a game fails to satisfy for whatever reason, rather than complain or worry about it, I just move on to something else. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of games out there. I have a substantial back catalogue of games that Epic and Amazon prime regularly giveaway. I have bought numerous discounted bundles in the past, in the pious hope that I’ll play one of the games included, at some point in the future. Games may well be enjoyable and engaging but many are also disposable. That’s not to say they’re bad. While playing them you are indeed “entertained”. However, when you’re “done”, it’s amazing how you quickly find another and forget what you were previously playing.
I started the year playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare III, the 2023 entry in the never ending franchise. These games have a 12 month lifecycle and frequently “evolve” during their quarterly updates. Hence many of the aspects of MW III that I liked when I started playing, were altered, nerfed or simply removed, six months later. The community is also vile and seems to be a magnet for the emotionally dysfunctional. This doesn’t help, especially when trying to find information on builds and tactics via the games subreddit. I found myself in a minority as I actually liked the open world approach to the Zombie play mode. The latest iteration of the game released in October has returned to the traditional round based approach, which I don’t like. So roundabout summer, I stopped playing as the game no longer yielded sufficient fun. I uninstalled it a few months later.
I fancied playing a traditional high fantasy RPG this year and found exactly that in Dragon’s Dogma 2. I quite liked the fact that the game deliberately eschews fast travel and is designed so that the player has to travel slowly around the world map, fighting as they go. I also liked the pawn system in which you could hire up to 3 NPC companions from multiple classes. These can be either prebuilt pawns provided by the game itself, or ones that other players had created. I got quite attached to some of them with their quirky names and dialogue, until I outlevelled them. The combat was more challenging than I had expected but I liked the fact that you could climb onto some of the exotic beasts you fought and attack vital areas. Some players were disappointed by the story, claiming it was somewhat generic. I felt it was adequate and often wonder if games such as these, made by international developers, lose something in translation.
I returned to several MMOs this year. Star Trek Online continues to be a mainstay, due to its continuous calendar of short term events. Such an approach is not a real substitute for longer, story based missions which are becoming more infrequent these days. But STO does afford the casual gamer a quick fix and a means to jump straight into some action if you have limited leisure time. I also resumed playing The Lord of the Rings Online having one update and an expansion to catch up with. I reached the new level cap with my primary character and weathered the ill conceived changes that were made to the Lore-master class. When will developers learn that if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it? LOTRO still benefits from well written and innovative stories to underpin all their quests. It also has a knack of creating interesting zones. Overall the game does sufficient to keep me engaged.
For reasons I can’t quite articulate, I decide to revisit Age of Conan. I found my original character from 2011 along with an MMO that is in maintenance mode. It still has players although they tend to congregate in the cities and most of the time, you’ll find yourself alone when out questing. As such, it can be played as an RPG but I decided not to pursue playing any further than satiating my thirst for nostalgia. Instead I opted to dive back into Star Wars: The Old Republic as there were three classes that I hadn’t played. To date, I have now completed the Sith Inquisitor and Jedi Consular classes and am now focusing on the Judi Knight. The great thing about SWTOR is that each class has a unique story, as does each planet in the game. Hence there is always something new to return to.
2024 was certainly not a standout year for gaming, at least from my perspective. Video games still provided an entertaining pastime but nothing really loomed large and made an impact upon me such as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Skyrim. Such games are becoming increasingly rare. MMOs once again proved to be a comfortable form of gaming and I am still enjoying my return to SWTOR. I also have the latest LOTRO expansion to play through, which I am keeping in reserve for the moment. I have my eye on the new Indiana Jones game in the New Year along with the latest instalment of Sniper Elite. However, the cost of buying new titles is becoming quite expensive. Especially if you want the most comprehensive version of a video game. However, I have a potential solution for that problem but that is a blog post for the New Year.
A Year in Movies
The last time I wrote A Year in Movies post was back in 2020. That was naturally an unusual year and it certainly had a radical impact upon the film industry and the way new movies are distributed. In many ways the pandemic accelerated the inevitable move towards cross platform, same day releases. 4 years on and it is quite usual for films to have a short cinema release before becoming available on streaming media. They often appear on physical media at the same time. Effectively you can go to the cinema, or simply watch at home on the platform of your choice if you prefer. Rent, buy or subscribe, the film studios still get their pound of flesh and everyone is happy. Sometimes if a film has failed to gain sufficient traction at the cinema, its release will be cut short and it will go to streaming even quicker. Direct to video from the eighties and nineties has been superseded with direct to streaming.
The last time I wrote A Year in Movies post was back in 2020. That was naturally an unusual year and it certainly had a radical impact upon the film industry and the way new movies are distributed. In many ways the pandemic accelerated the inevitable move towards cross platform, same day releases. 4 years on and it is quite usual for films to have a short cinema release before becoming available on streaming media. They often appear on physical media at the same time. Effectively you can go to the cinema, or simply watch at home on the platform of your choice if you prefer. Rent, buy or subscribe, the film studios still get their pound of flesh and everyone is happy. Sometimes if a film has failed to gain sufficient traction at the cinema, its release will be cut short and it will go to streaming even quicker. Direct to video from the eighties and nineties has been superseded with direct to streaming.
My personal cinema experience has greatly improved of late due to the opening of a new local independent cinema in Summer 2023. The Sidcup Storyteller has three screens which are best described as “petit” and “bijou”. However, this is advantageous as it tends not to attract a youthful audience seeking the latest multiplex fodder. Instead customers tend to be of an older age group who still cleave to old school cinema etiquette. The seats are roomy and the sound system is not turned up to 11 but instead is actually configured so dialogue is audible. Films are shown throughout the day which is convenient if you want to grab something to eat afterwards and still be home at a reasonable hour. Ticket prices are acceptable and on average are about £10, although there are often discounts and promotions that can reduce the price as low as £6.30 which is very reasonable.
I went to the cinema 3 times in 2024, which is possibly an all time low. A decade earlier I would go at least once a month and could always find something that I wanted to watch. Sadly this decline all comes down to the content that monopolises cinema chains these days. I’m tired of being charitable and advocating a live and let live policy. Franchise moves are a blight on quality film making. They indirectly condition their audience towards spectacle, rather than dialogue and story. Furthermore, they foster short attention spans. Through no fault of their own modern audiences are often incapable of watching anything outside of a narrow spectrum of material and are effectively cinematically illiterate. It is a sorry state of affairs and ultimately it’s the audience that loses out.
As for the three films that I saw at the cinema this year, they were as follows. One Life about the British humanitarian Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins) and his involvement in the Kindertransport during World War II. It is a very low key film with the focus on performance. It doesn’t overreach itself by being too epic in scope and makes its point perfectly. Back to Black is a biography of singer Amy Winehouse. The plot is somewhat factually spurious but the central performance by Marisa Abela is sound, especially her singing. Finally, the last film of the year was Paddington in Peru. Not quite as good as the first two movies but it is still entertaining, mainly due to the strong supporting cast. Antonio Banderas being especially droll. I considered going to the cinema to see Blitz, Alien Romulus and Gladiator II but ultimately chose to watch them all at home.
Despite a decline in mainstream cinema, there are still plenty of good quality films available. You just have to look a little harder to find them. They are often buried in the streaming menus and need to be sought out. I find that word of mouth from friends and critics that I know and respect is often a reliable heads up. I found Robot Dreams that way, along with Longlegs. Both are entertaining genre offerings but very different films. Another solid film recommended by a reliable source is Juror #2, directed by Clint Eastwood. This was released without much fanfare but it is a no nonsense courtroom drama, filmed in Eastwood usual matter of fact style. It achieves exactly what it sets out to do, delivering a strong indictment of the US legal system. The fact that films such as these three are still made does give me hope that quality mainstream filmmaking is not quite dead and that good stories still appeal to audiences.
A Year in TV
It is fair to say that we live in an age where we do not lack quality TV. There are numerous shows that have garnered critical acclaim or a strong word of mouth following that are deemed “must see” viewing. No doubt you, like myself, have a long “to do” list of programs that you need to “get round to watching” on top of those shows which are staples of your viewing regime. If you didn’t have enough programmes already to catch up with, we all have friends and family telling us about a “great show” that’s on a platform we don’t subscribe to, that we really need to see. It is quite extraordinary and a far cry from my youth when the UK simply had three terrestrial channels until satellite TV became popular in the late eighties. To paraphrase the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan “we’ve never had it so good”.
It is fair to say that we live in an age where we do not lack quality TV. There are numerous shows that have garnered critical acclaim or a strong word of mouth following that are deemed “must see” viewing. No doubt you, like myself, have a long “to do” list of programs that you need to “get round to watching” on top of those shows which are staples of your viewing regime. If you didn’t have enough programmes already to catch up with, we all have friends and family telling us about a “great show” that’s on a platform we don’t subscribe to, that we really need to see. It is quite extraordinary and a far cry from my youth when the UK simply had three terrestrial channels until satellite TV became popular in the late eighties. To paraphrase the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan “we’ve never had it so good”.
Yet there are downsides. The most obvious one is the fact that most people cannot subscribe to all the platforms they would like to and that there are simply too many competing services. So we all make tough choices based on what permutation of subscriptions offers us the most choice and then use other family member’s login details to cover the shortfall. Then there is the concept of “TV poverty” for those on low incomes who have no other recourse other than what is available for free. Internet access is still poor in some regions of the UK, meaning that streaming is not always the best option available. It has been mooted that the UK government intends to phase out digital terrestrial television by 2030 and replace it with streaming exclusively but until the internet divide is addressed i cannot see this being viable.
Freely, the proposed streaming replacement for UK digital terrestrial TV
TV has always had a curious relationship with cinema. In many ways they have been opposites at different periods of time. In the fifties and sixties cinema was considered the cerebral medium and TV was the poor, populist relation. At present it is the opposite. Film is driven by franchise spectacles, where TV is the home of complex, well written dramas. That being said, TV is not averse to creating franchises with an eye on long term longevity. This can come with its own set of problems. I started watching From on the understanding that this complex sci-fi horror drama would not make the same mistakes as the TV show Lost. Sadly the plot is dragging and there is little progression. One cannot escape the feeling that this show with its interesting premise and strong cast, is deliberately being dragged out for obvious financial reasons at the risk of the public just getting bored and switching off.
Another issue is time that elapses between seasons of a popular show. If more than a year goes by then it can be a struggle to recollect all nuances of the plot. Sometimes, I will have to rewatch the final episode of the previous season to jog my memory. On a few occasions, I have watched YouTube summaries of the previous series to bring me back up to speed. I find it kills your interest in a show if you have to do homework to keep on top of it. Sadly, some shows just drag on too long and end up diminishing their brand. It is argued that the optimal number of seasons is between five and seven. NCIS is a prime example of a popular show that has just gone on for too long. The most beloved characters have gone and it currently suffers from very poor writing. Conversely, its recent spinoff show, NCIS Origins, is the complete opposite with tightly written, well conceived and minimalist episodes.
NCIS Origins is a far better written show than NCIS
I enjoy good television but if left unchecked it could totally monopolise all my leisure time. Therefore I will make the decision to not watch some shows as I would rather spend the time on some other hobby. Unfortunately, just like the film industry, the current business model for television has an element of “fear of missing out” built into its marketing. Do you want to be one of the “cool kids” discussing the latest episode of a show and thus be part of a shared cultural moment, or will you watch it a couple of years later and discover that none of your mates want to talk about it anymore as they’ve moved on? Another cultural change is whether we “accept” that YouTube is a form of TV? I regularly watch YouTube on my lounge TV and for many, this is what they watch instead of “old school” TV. I suspect that 2025 will have more changes in store for us and will therefore be an equally interesting year in television.
A Year in Music
This post is not intended to be a comprehensive review of music per se in 2024. It is simply a few thoughts on what I’ve been listening to over the course of the year and my ever changing relationship with the Terpsichorean muse. As a man in his fifties who has always enjoyed multiple genres of music and it is a comforting presence in day-to-day life. Up to a year ago, I relied upon my own music collection on my PC as the source of music to which I listened. Yet, this meant that I was somewhat locked into my own existing tastes and there was limited scope for me to find new material. This changed last December when I started subscribing to Spotify and since then it has become my primary source of music. It caters to my tastes, which at times are quite niche and it gently introduces me to new material without being too invasive. This has proven most beneficial.
This post is not intended to be a comprehensive review of music per se in 2024. It is simply a few thoughts on what I’ve been listening to over the course of the year and my ever changing relationship with the Terpsichorean muse. As a man in his fifties who has always enjoyed multiple genres of music and it is a comforting presence in day-to-day life. Up to a year ago, I relied upon my own music collection on my PC as the source of music to which I listened. Yet, this meant that I was somewhat locked into my own existing tastes and there was limited scope for me to find new material. This changed last December when I started subscribing to Spotify and since then it has become my primary source of music. It caters to my tastes, which at times are quite niche and it gently introduces me to new material without being too invasive. This has proven most beneficial.
In a world of “big data”, naturally Spotify has crunched the numbers relating to my usage over the last 12 months and has collated a presentation about my listening habits. My top five artists are a strange mix. I was not surprised to see Rammstein at the top of the list as I find their pounding songs to be an excellent form of stress release. Seeing the late, great Slim Whitman so high in the list was unexpected. I “inherited” my love of this man’s yodelling abilities and his three octave range falsetto from my mother. She adored him and hence I became very familiar with his back catalogue. As for Howard Shore and John Barry, their respective presence is due to my love of sumptuous movie soundtracks. With respect to The Stranglers, I consider them an underrated UK band. A band where there’s more than meets the eye.
Slim Whitman
I apparently listened to 10,558 minutes of music this year. If you assume an average running time of 3.5 minutes for a song, that’s a little over 3000. Like most data presented out of any sort of context, I have no idea if that is a lot or a little compared to other users. It averages out at about 8 songs a day which doesn’t seem a lot. Maybe 30 minutes of music each time. I suppose it all depends on your circumstances. I spend a lot of time at my desk using my PC, so I’ll often listen to something while writing or gaming. Plus I did some travelling at the start of the year, which provided additional time to listen to Spotify via headphones. Overall, enjoying music is certainly part of my daily routine. Just like listening to podcasts and watching YouTube channels that I subscribe to. Having what I want, when I want, without any hassle certainly makes things a lot easier.
Rammstein
Perhaps the biggest change I can see with regard to listening to music, is that I don’t take it quite so seriously anymore. I remember my teenage years and being very proud and protective of the bands and artists I liked. Music being such an integral part of youth culture. I no longer see music in terms of being cool or uncool, mainstream or indie. It simply comes down to whether a tune gets a positive reaction or not. If it does, then I’ll add it to a playlist. As to my wider musical aspirations, it has been a long time since I’ve seen any live music. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that being a gentleman of a certain age, I like to sit down. Something that is not always viable at a concert. But I feel it is time to see a big, stadium band next year. Mainly because if I don’t go and see anything in 2025, I’ll probably never do such a thing again.
Goodbye 2022
This is my third attempt at writing this post. The first was a little too philosophical, tackling the nature of adult life and how it is a far cry from the childish notions I had about being a “grown up” when I was seven. The second was just a list of the various shit that has gone down in my life over the last twelve months and it felt far too much like whinging. Hopefully this one is more succinct and even handed. 2022 was not a good year, personally speaking. My family and I experienced a lot of health issues and my mother died after a rapid decline. Hence there has been a lot of stress and anxiety which has left me feeling tired and somewhat jaded. Due to the subsequent changes in my personal circumstances, I now find myself at somewhat of a “loose end”. I feel the need to channel my energies into something but I’m not sure exactly what at present.
This is my third attempt at writing this post. The first was a little too philosophical, tackling the nature of adult life and how it is a far cry from the childish notions I had about being a “grown up” when I was seven. The second was just a list of the various shit that has gone down in my life over the last twelve months and it felt far too much like whinging. Hopefully this one is more succinct and even handed. 2022 was not a good year, personally speaking. My family and I experienced a lot of health issues and my mother died after a rapid decline. Hence there has been a lot of stress and anxiety which has left me feeling tired and somewhat jaded. Due to the subsequent changes in my personal circumstances, I now find myself at somewhat of a “loose end”. I feel the need to channel my energies into something but I’m not sure exactly what at present.
Do I have any plans for 2023? Not at the moment. I have some administrative chores to deal with regarding my late mother’s estate, but beyond that I don’t have any specific ideas as to how to spend my time over the next twelve months. For the present I am content to just “be” and in the current economic and political climate, long term plans may not be viable. I suspect that nationally and internationally speaking, 2023 is going to be a very challenging year. I am concerned about the cost of living crisis in the UK and the state of domestic politics. It comes as no surprise that the Collins English Dictionary chose “permacrisis” as the word of the year. I suspect that the proverbial chickens (economically and politically speaking) will be coming home to roost this year and if that is the case, the most one can do is to try and weather the storm.
A Year in Blogging
So far I have written 135 blog posts in 2022. Not much compared to previous years, but frankly I’ve become a little despondent with writing in recent months (I shall expand more upon that in a moment). Hence, since October I have been enjoying a break from regular blogging. I have written sparingly and pursued other leisure activities. Given that my post output has gone down, it would be logical to assume that there has been a commensurate drop in web traffic to Contains Moderate Peril, but this is not the case. Overall, my monthly statistics have remained the same, proving once again that most of my readership find my written content via Google searches, rather than reading new material on a daily basis. This has given me much food for thought and added to my ongoing reflection upon my writing activities.
So far I have written 135 blog posts in 2022. Not much compared to previous years, but frankly I’ve become a little despondent with writing in recent months (I shall expand more upon that in a moment). Hence, since October I have been enjoying a break from regular blogging. I have written sparingly and pursued other leisure activities. Given that my post output has gone down, it would be logical to assume that there has been a commensurate drop in web traffic to Contains Moderate Peril, but this is not the case. Overall, my monthly statistics have remained the same, proving once again that most of my readership find my written content via Google searches, rather than reading new material on a daily basis. This has given me much food for thought and added to my ongoing reflection upon my writing activities.
Bloggers write for different reasons and their motivations are equally diverse. I write primarily for myself but I see no shame in wanting others to read it too. Afterall, the medium is a form of communication and that process is a much more enjoyable experience if it is multilateral. It’s the same with podcasting. It all seems a waste of time if you script, record and edit a show and no one listens to it. So it may be unfashionable to say so but one of the reasons I have become fed up with blogging after 15 years is because I do feel at times that I’m just spitting in the wind. Am I talking about internet fame and fortune? No. As a wise man once said “Fame, it’s an empty purse. Count it, go broke. Eat it, go hungry. Seek it, go mad”. What I am referring to is building a healthy audience and contributing to a community. I used to feel that was the case about a decade ago. It just doesn’t quite feel that way anymore.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. I happily wrote continuously for a month during this year’s Blaugust event. Which sheds some insight into my personal psychology. I will happily fail to meet my own targets and goals, but when I make a commitment to a third party I cannot break it. It’s funny how I’m socially conditioned this way but that is another blog post entirely. Back to the matter in hand, I am currently considering a staged return to writing. This time of year makes it a lot easier because I can write a lot of pieces that are all variations of “a year in (insert subject matter here)”. I am also ruminating upon a new project. Something I can channel my energies into. Perhaps it is time to step outside of my normal comfort zone of writing and podcasting and do something different. We shall see. The New Year is fast approaching.
Goodbye 2021
When I wrote Goodbye 2020 a year ago, I endeavoured to be philosophical and sanguine in my approach. It was a challenging year for all of us and for me it was further compounded by a bereavement. However, I strove to keep matters in perspective and tried to look at things in a broader context. I cannot be as even handed this time. 2021 has been a very difficult year for myself and my family and I will be glad to see the back of it. Nationally speaking, things haven’t been much better. I feel that we’ve squandered the initial progress that the COVID-19 vaccines offered. Obviously, I cannot do anything about the problems that the UK faces in 2022. However, I certainly intend to address some of the issues that I and my immediate family are facing. I am going to tackle some specific problems that need to be laid to rest and set myself some tangible goals to achieve. 2022 isn’t going to be something that just happens and I passively sit back and watch.
When I wrote Goodbye 2020 a year ago, I endeavoured to be philosophical and sanguine in my approach. It was a challenging year for all of us and for me it was further compounded by a bereavement. However, I strove to keep matters in perspective and tried to look at things in a broader context. I cannot be as even handed this time. 2021 has been a very difficult year for myself and my family and I will be glad to see the back of it. Nationally speaking, things haven’t been much better. I feel that we’ve squandered the initial progress that the COVID-19 vaccines offered. Obviously, I cannot do anything about the problems that the UK faces in 2022. However, I certainly intend to address some of the issues that I and my immediate family are facing. I am going to tackle some specific problems that need to be laid to rest and set myself some tangible goals to achieve. 2022 isn’t going to be something that just happens and I passively sit back and watch.
Rather than focus on the negatives, let’s reflect upon the positives. One of the best things that did happen in 2021 was the Blaugust Festival of Blogging. I really do find this yearly event to be very motivating and it is always a pleasure to see new writers starting out and absent friends return. Trying something new, especially something creative is always a lot easier if you have a community to draw upon for advice, support and friendship. It’s also very encouraging to see over 40 blogs in my RSS feed, still actively writing on a regular basis, sharing their thoughts and ideas. It certainly counters that persistent and erroneous narrative that blogging is dead. Furthermore the Discord server created for Blaugust continues to be active throughout the year, which is also very gratifying. A community that continues talking and sharing after the event is clearly a success.
I managed to maintain a fairly regular writing regime this year although that went awry in December due to illness in the family. I intend to increase my output in 2022 as I still feel that I have things to say on a great many matters and that all too often I miss the opportunity to do so just through poor time management. I shall therefore attempt to return to a morning writing schedule, as that seems to be the optimal time of day for me. I have also planned some side projects that I will be announcing in due course. Often it is all too easy to become more enamoured with planning a project rather than actually starting it. I intend to avoid this pitfall this year. I shall also try to be more encouraging to others. I know so many talented people with interesting ideas, who sadly never follow through on them for one reason or another. Perhaps a little nudge will provide the impetus needed.
Usually the closing paragraph of these sorts of posts are either philosophical, motivational or sarcastic. A pithy summation of events of the previous year and one’s hopes and aspirations for the forthcoming one. Frankly, I’m just keen to draw a line under 2021 and move on. I recently hit 54 and I’m very conscious that I am now embarking upon a very different phase of my life compared to that which has gone before. There are important matters that I need to sort out to ensure that life is both manageable and tolerable. I certainly feel motivated at present and so I need to capitalise upon that. Best wishes to all who have supported Contains Moderate Peril over the last twelve months. It is satisfying to know that I’m not just yelling into the void. I’m going to just keep going. I hope that you do the same.
A Year in Technology
Getting older does have a few benefits. One of them, if you are fortunate enough to embrace the concept, is a degree of self awareness and the ability to be honest with yourself. Over the years I have tried to adjust my technological habits but ultimately I am a creature of habit. My use of technology and consumption of content has been determined by the decades I grew up in. Therefore, I am a PC user and prefer to sit in my office where I write, play games and peruse the internet. I have my desk set up in a way that suits my needs and I can go about my business in comfort. When away from my office, I rely heavily on my phone as an alternative platform. In some instances phone based apps offer a superior experience to the desktop or browser based PC alternatives. Banking being one example. For better or for worse this is how I do things and I am comfortable with these choices.
Getting older does have a few benefits. One of them, if you are fortunate enough to embrace the concept, is a degree of self awareness and the ability to be honest with yourself. Over the years I have tried to adjust my technological habits but ultimately I am a creature of habit. My use of technology and consumption of content has been determined by the decades I grew up in. Therefore, I am a PC user and prefer to sit in my office where I write, play games and peruse the internet. I have my desk set up in a way that suits my needs and I can go about my business in comfort. When away from my office, I rely heavily on my phone as an alternative platform. In some instances phone based apps offer a superior experience to the desktop or browser based PC alternatives. Banking being one example. For better or for worse this is how I do things and I am comfortable with these choices.
At present, possibly the most redundant piece of tech hardware I own is my Amazon Fire HD 10. It’s a nice size tablet and the specs were fairly robust back in Autumn 2018 when I bought it. But on a day to day basis I simply don’t use it. The Kindle book function was its main selling point but Audible has lured me into the world of audiobooks which I prefer. I would hazard a guess that I’ve probably only turned on this device 3 times during the course of 2021. I suspect I may sell this device in 2022, not because I’m averse to mobile “culture” per se but because my phone already meets all my needs in this respect. My Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which I had since December 2019, is the most robust handset I’ve owned. It has a large screen and a powerful processor and outperforms the tablet in every respect.
Looking back over the last twelve months most of my technology based purchases have been either replacements or upgrades to existing items. I’ve written previously about how I seem to kill PC peripherals and 2021 was no exception. I had to replace an Xbox controller and a USB microphone this year. Sadly the latter still hasn’t been used in conjunction with the Bluetooth Earbuds. However, I am very pleased with the Soundbar I bought in the Summer and am impressed by the quality of the audio. It has certainly improved the cable management of my office desk. My recent acquisition of a laptop has also proven beneficial as I have had to spend an increasing amount of time at my parent house this year. I must reiterate my surprise at how much laptops have improved in recent years with regard to specifications, performance and weight.
As I write this post, the elephant in the room actually resides on the left hand side of my desk. The jury is still out as to whether the Nintendo Switch was a good purchase or not. It gets used for social gameplay, when we have guests (usually my granddaughters). I relocate the device to the lounge and connect it to the TV. However, I seldom use it for handheld gaming and I’m not even sure if this is down to not finding the right game. Fundamentally, I think that playing video games in this way just isn’t for me. Furthermore, if I were to obtain any other form of console, I suspect that I wouldn’t really get on with them either. For me gaming is done on the PC, predominantly with a keyboard and mouse. Anything else just doesn’t feel “right”. However, I shall keep the Switch and possibly buy a few more social games in 2022. Although I don’t use it that often it is very well received by my grandchildren.
At present, I have no immediate plans to buy any more tech in the New Year. A new television may well be required at some point in the next twelve months as the current one is reaching the end of its lifespan. There is also the possibility of our existing Internet Service Provider offering Fibre to the Premises in April. My dreams of a 100Mbps connection could become a reality. Apparently, I’m eligible for a mobile phone handset upgrade in February. A decade ago this would have thrilled me and I would have spent hours pawing over reviews and comparisons websites. At present the prospect elicits no more than a roll of the eyes. All of which is indicative of a shift in my relationship with technology. A relationship which I am now truly comfortable with. After all “the tail doesn’t wag the dog”.
A Year in Gaming
Usually in a post such as this, my primary focus would be writing about the games that I’ve played over the last twelve month and what it was about them that I specifically enjoyed. However, this year I feel that I must address the wider issues that have dominated the news regarding the video games industry. Simply put, several very high profile and successful triple A video game companies have been beset by scandals over the last twelve months. And these have been of such a nature that they have finally laid to rest the myth that some still cling to, that working “in video games” is somehow different from working in more traditional industries because it’s “cool”. It turns out that it has all the same failings as TV, music and film. The people at the top are abusive and broken and maltreat those at the coalface who do all the real work for precious little reward.
Usually in a post such as this, my primary focus would be writing about the games that I’ve played over the last twelve month and what it was about them that I specifically enjoyed. However, this year I feel that I must address the wider issues that have dominated the news regarding the video games industry. Simply put, several very high profile and successful triple A video game companies have been beset by scandals over the last twelve months. And these have been of such a nature that they have finally laid to rest the myth that some still cling to, that working “in video games” is somehow different from working in more traditional industries because it’s “cool”. It turns out that it has all the same failings as TV, music and film. The people at the top are abusive and broken and maltreat those at the coalface who do all the real work for precious little reward.
Hence, I feel that there is now a moral dilemma in buying games from certain companies and that their products are in a way “tainted”. The same way as there is shopping at certain stores that are known for their unethical practises. However, a consumer boycott is not always the most effective form of protest and on occasions can do more harm to those parties one wishes to demonstrate a degree of solidarity with. However, one can still voice one’s unhappiness with the situation and that is what seems to be happening at present. Negative PR seldom goes unnoticed and as and when it impacts upon share prices, the message eventually reaches the top of the food chain. Action gets taken sooner or later but what the Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft and Bungie scandals highlight are a wider societal malaise. The abhorrent behaviour that we’ve read about seems to be ingrained in specific socioeconomic stratas. Fixing that is a much harder issue than just replacing a few managers and CEOs.
Moving on from how shitty the video game industry seems to be, personally speaking this has not been the most exciting year for my relationship with video games. As 2021 draws to an end my PC’s hard drive is filled with games that I’ve abandoned and become bored with. Cyberpunk 2077, GreedFall and Days Gone are a few examples of games that showed promise but became somewhat routine and pedestrian. I did enjoy my first major foray into the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Black Flag proved to have an engaging story and an unusual setting, hence I completed the game. My gaming mainstays, the MMORPGs The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online, also kept me busy this year. This was mainly due to the way this genre lends itself to “quick fix” gaming. STO in particular continuously runs events that afford the player a reason to log in and undertake a quick task. Yet despite this engagement, I don’t feel I’ve done anything significant in either game.
The jury is still out as to whether my Nintendo Switch has been a good or bad investment. It gets used mainly when my granddaughters come to visit and then Mario Kart is a firm favourite. But personally I have yet to find a game that enthrals me. I think I’m just culturally conditioned to do my gaming on a PC. And in other news, my love hate relationship with Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout continues. There is fun to be had playing this game but the moment specific races and events appear, they instantly kill my passion. I have still yet to win a crown. This failure to achieve this particular goal bothers the heck out of me. I suspect that overall, my relationship with gaming is shifting. As a pastime it is becoming very much like mainstream cinema. There’s no shortage of content but it’s all rather generic, formulaic and mediocre.
As for 2022, well for the present I shall just continue to push on with LOTRO and STO. I have nearly finished the new expansion in LOTRO, Fate of Gundabad and have reached the current level cap of 140. I finally got on top of the new Legendary Item system and have managed to create a rather robust new weapon. I think I may soon make a return to The Elder Scrolls Online and see what content I have waiting for me. I usually enjoy playing for a few months continuously and feel that subscribing improves the overall experience. I shall also keep a weather eye on the video game industry to see if and how it bounces back from the recent scandals assailing it. It already looks like the player uptake of NFTs is not going to be as easy as some publishers have anticipated. Maybe I’ll chance upon some hidden video game gems in the next 12 months and my enthusiasm will be restored. Time will tell.
A Year in Social Media
I can’t speak for others but my relationship with social media has certainly changed over the last two years. Whenever new internet technologies emerge, there is a brief period when it feels like some sort of new frontier. Often such innovations become a means of empowering the marginalised and the voiceless. For a while new platforms can even be a force for good. But eventually commercial interests creep in along with rules and regulations. Hence, it all inevitably takes a turn for the worst. The frontier is finally tamed and ends up being just another corporate space. Social media is certainly not a forum for discussing social issues or politics, instead being a medium for tribalism and rancour. Because of these factors and others, I have moderated my use of social media and it has proven extremely beneficial to my state of mind.
I can’t speak for others but my relationship with social media has certainly changed over the last two years. Whenever new internet technologies emerge, there is a brief period when it feels like some sort of new frontier. Often such innovations become a means of empowering the marginalised and the voiceless. For a while new platforms can even be a force for good. But eventually commercial interests creep in along with rules and regulations. Hence, it all inevitably takes a turn for the worst. The frontier is finally tamed and ends up being just another corporate space. Social media is certainly not a forum for discussing social issues or politics, instead being a medium for tribalism and rancour. Because of these factors and others, I have moderated my use of social media and it has proven extremely beneficial to my state of mind.
A decade ago, I thought that using social media to promote my writing would be an invaluable tool and have positive results. Reflecting upon that now, I can't help but raise a wry smile at such naivety. Over the last twelve months, the amount of traffic to Contains Moderate Peril which is directly attributable to social media is just over 1%. Thus as a promotional tool, for me at least, it isn’t really worth the bother. Occasionally a Tweet about a game specific story may get a degree of traction with its player community but even then, it will only result in 100 or so additional visits to the post. Google is the primary source of people finding my writing and social media promotion has proven ineffective. Plus writing a blog doesn’t really lend itself to a presence on TikTok or Instagram. Platforms geared towards brevity and the concise delivery of targeted content, don’t really suit long from written material.
So after dabbling with instagram, I’ve ceased to actively participate on the platform. I mainly use it now to keep up to date with what my immediate family are doing, especially my granddaughters. Facebook is another medium I no longer use or check. I think the main reason I stopped using it was because rather than being a means to cross promote material, it simply became its own ecosystem which wasn’t especially helpful. As for older forms of social media such as forums and subreddits, they seem to be rapidly falling by the wayside. Many of the ones that I’ve used over the years, associated with specific games or types of fandom, have either closed down or dwindled into insignificance. Or they just become monopolised by a small cadre of dedicated posters who treat it as their own personal fiefdom. It often leads to an extremely partisan environment and hardly a suitable medium for debate and discussion.
Discord continues to be somewhat of a paradox, from my perspective. It’s a great way to chat and answer immediate enquiries. It’s also a solid foundation for a social group. However it is not exactly useful for archiving discussions and information. I feel it is a medium that deals in the here and now and although very useful it ultimately is very ephemeral. Yet many traditional gaming communities are moving to this platform, which I find somewhat confusing. Because it doesn’t offer the range of services that a traditional forum does. You can organise and manage events perfectly on Discord. But you cannot curate information and easily search for older content. I also feel that a Discord community over a certain size of active contributors is too hard to keep up with. You either follow it 24/7 or it eludes you.
As the year nears its end, I find myself using Twitter as my primary social media platform. I stopped following numerous twitter accounts earlier in spring, especially those associated with political and social commentary. I find that not having vast amounts of controversy and daily brouhahas flooding my timeline is extremely good for my psychological equilibrium. I mainly use Twitter now as a means of staying in touch with my online friends whose company I enjoy immensely. Overall, I’m finding the novelty of social media to be ebbing away and its practical benefits are overrated. Reaching large groups of potential customers is fine for business. Being exposed to excessive amounts of random members of the public is neither edifying, desirable or fun. I suspect that I shall continue to refine my social media experience in 2022.
Goodbye 2020
A very wise Vulcan once said “change is the essential process of all existence”. 2020 has demonstrated that unequivocally. How our privileged, pampered lives have altered over the last twelve months. We’ve had to stay at home, curtail our social interactions and reflect upon the meaning of existence. I appreciate that things are relative, so it’s not helpful to compare the concerns that discombobulate people today with the realities that folk had to endure during World War II for example. I won’t trivialise the sense of isolation and desperation some folk have felt over the lockdown. From my own perspective, my life as a carer is regimented and focused, so 2020 hasn’t really “cramped my style” to use an old fashioned phrase. However, several things happened over the course of the year that have had an impact upon myself and my family.
A very wise Vulcan once said “change is the essential process of all existence”. 2020 has demonstrated that unequivocally. How our privileged, pampered lives have altered over the last twelve months. We’ve had to stay at home, curtail our social interactions and reflect upon the meaning of existence. I appreciate that things are relative, so it’s not helpful to compare the concerns that discombobulate people today with the realities that folk had to endure during World War II for example. I won’t trivialise the sense of isolation and desperation some folk have felt over the lockdown. From my own perspective, my life as a carer is regimented and focused, so 2020 hasn’t really “cramped my style” to use an old fashioned phrase. However, several things happened over the course of the year that have had an impact upon myself and my family.
In April I fell ill with COVID-19. My symptoms were not sufficiently bad enough to require hospitalisation but it was a singularly unpleasant experience. The feeling of having restricted breathing as if I was being held in a perpetual bearhug, was most disconcerting. My biggest fear was infecting Mrs P who is unfortunately in a high risk group due to her heart condition. The initial symptoms burnt themselves out within two weeks but it took at least another three to four months before I felt healthy again. And then in late August my 90 year old Father became ill and was hospitalised. He endured four years of very poor health after several strokes and frankly he was fed up with it all. He passed away on September 16th. Due to COVID -19, I could only visit him once in hospital. It then fell to me to sort everything out. I still to this day do not feel I’ve grieved “properly”. Every time I think I’m coping well something trivial reminds me he’s not about anymore and I suddenly become aware that I miss him profoundly.
Another terrible weight that many have laboured under, here in the UK, has been the state of contemporary politics. Irrespective of whether you specifically voted for the incumbent government, one naturally expected them to rise to the occasion when faced with a national crisis. Because COVID-19 and Brexit are issues that should be considered above petty, partisan politics. Sadly that has not been the case. Boris Johnson has handled both issues poorly and is surrounded by an equally inept cabinet. The country is still terribly divided and he’s made no attempts to build bridges or pour oil on troubled waters. He is untrustworthy, a liar and shambolic in his rhetorical style. His paucity of talent, along with his dishevelled appearance, denigrates the office he currently occupies. He lacks principles and conviction which means he will never commit to anything that requires him to maintain a position. Hence he is late to deal with things and does so in a weak, non-committal fashion. Sadly, we have to endure this inept, coward and his craven government for another four years.
Mercifully, it hasn’t all been doom and gloom. 2020 has shown that there are still plenty talented, focused and empathetic people in the world. From healthcare professionals to the staff in the supermarket and delivery drivers. While some of our so-called best have proven to be dull and tarnished, some everyday folk have pulled together, gone the extra mile and truly shone this year. Another positive event to reflect upon is that Trump lost the US election and the entire world will not have to endure his insane ramblings in 2021. His departure certainly doesn’t fix the broken state of US politics but every journey has to begin with a first step. And on a personal note, I get to meet my new Grandson in February. So the next twelve months have some positive aspects already. The COVID-19 vaccines won’t solve everything and I’m sure the immediate future is going to be tough. But as Churchill may or may not have said, “if you're going through hell, keep going”. Wise words. Onwards and upwards I say.
A Year in TV
Let it suffice to say that due to current “circumstances”, Mrs P and I have watched a lot more TV this year. However, rather than just reiterate what we’ve viewed, which is already covered in my recurring blog post The Idiot Box, I thought I’d take the time to reflect upon some wider issues. TV has become a major source not only of entertainment but psychological support during this year’s social restrictions. The closure of cinemas for the majority of the past twelve months has meant that TV has had little or no competition. Furthermore, many of the films that may well have drawn audiences away, have come to the smaller screens a lot quicker. Never has so much TV been voraciously consumed. There’s also been a degree of nostalgia as viewers have watched popular shows at broadly similar times, reviving that sense of a shared experience that was so common in the seventies and eighties. However, the pandemic has also caused a slow down in TV production. Will the shortage of new content that many have predicted finally manifest itself next year?
Let it suffice to say that due to current “circumstances”, Mrs P and I have watched a lot more TV this year. However, rather than just reiterate what we’ve viewed, which is already covered in my recurring blog post The Idiot Box, I thought I’d take the time to reflect upon some wider issues. TV has become a major source not only of entertainment but psychological support during this year’s social restrictions. The closure of cinemas for the majority of the past twelve months has meant that TV has had little or no competition. Furthermore, many of the films that may well have drawn audiences away, have come to the smaller screens a lot quicker. Never has so much TV been voraciously consumed. There’s also been a degree of nostalgia as viewers have watched popular shows at broadly similar times, reviving that sense of a shared experience that was so common in the seventies and eighties. However, the pandemic has also caused a slow down in TV production. Will the shortage of new content that many have predicted finally manifest itself next year?
Naturally, I am not the only blogger to have regularly written about their revised viewing habits this year. Wilhelm Arcturus has also been doing so and recently he posted a very interesting summary of his experiences and posed some very interesting talking points. His thoughts have inspired reciprocal blog posts by Bhagpuss and MagiWasTaken, both of whom have given their own perspective on the issues that he has raised. So I’ve decided to follow suit, as I think that we are seeing a gradual sea change in the way we consume TV content. I’ve written in the past about so-called TV Poverty and the notion that unless you pay for content, your choice will ultimately be limited. Can traditional broadcast television maintain its audience and more importantly, advertising revenue, indefinitely? I think not. The cosy and somewhat quaint notion of the nuclear family, gathered around the TV, enjoying a shared experience is fast becoming obsolete.
Here are the bullet points that Wilhelm collated in his original post. I shall address them accordingly:
“No commercials is pretty nice”. Yes, I agree. I hate commercials, on screen graphics, promotional banners about what is on next, continuity announcers talking over program credits and basically anything that intrudes on a TV show. All of which are absent from premium streaming TV services. However, commercial channels often have on demand players and these sadly still have advert breaks etc.
“I still won’t buy pay-per-view”. I will only pay to see something if there is a pressing need to do so for review purposes and if it cannot be sourced elsewhere. For example, I took out a free trial to Shudder so I could see the Zoom based horror film Host. I subscribed to BritBox so I could evaluate the new series of the puppet based satirical comedy show, Spitting Image. But I seldom pay to watch a new release film. I have more to say on this subject in my thoughts on the next point.
“There are too damn many streaming services”. Yes there are. New ones seem to be appearing every day. Furthermore, you cannot subscribe to all of them. I have a budget for such leisure activities and it can only sustain so many streaming services. At present I subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime and BritBox. However, I indulge in that phenomenon that is “subscription sharing”. Most services allow you to access content from several devices, so myself and other family members “share” login credentials. Hence I can access Disney + and Now TV. In the past when Contains Moderate Peril was a bigger concern I got myself on the press list for a few marketing and distribution companies. This allowed me to see films and other content for review purposes. Let it suffice to say I still have access to some of these industry channels.
“Finding things is hard”: Never a truer word spoken. You can waste hours of your life, slowly trawling through various categories or pitifully typing via the TV remote control, the name of a show or film that the streaming service in question doesn’t have. I find the easiest thing to do before watching is to search what content is available and where, via a web browser on a phone or PC. I then add the program I desire to my “wish list”, so it’s waiting for me when I watch the TV in the lounge. I see that Amazon’s Alexa has an add-on device you can attach to the TV, that can search through all your subscribed services but from what I’ve seen, it’s not especially reliable
“I am torn on weekly versus all at once content”. I’m not. I’ve never liked waiting so having an entire season available as soon as it’s launched is fine with me. I also find that binge watching greatly helps me keep up with a show’s plot, especially if it’s complex. Again, being able to watch a season in its entirety makes reviewing it a lot easier. Waiting for weekly content is consequently a nuisance. I’m currently waiting for all episodes of Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery to become available so I can binge watch it. The weekly wait for The Mandalorian was frustrating, although I can understand why Disney made such a decision.
“We have been biased towards shows versus movies”. Mainstream cinema has become somewhat bland and safe. Especially the major studio output. TV on the other hand is becoming experimental and diverse, although that’s not always the case. For example, if a fantasy based TV show is successful, then the following year you’ll find a wealth of others. However, the scope and quality of TV shows on streaming platforms has become broader. From an actors point of view, a feature film may offer you a two hour window to develop a character. A TV show can offer ten or more. Plus cinemas are often havens for assholes who are hell bent on doing absolutely anything other than sit quietly and apply themselves to a film. At least at home you can control this problem. And if you can’t, then those assholes spoiling your viewing are your own family.
“I could cut the cord were it not for sports”. Although we have cable services in the UK, satellite was the first to corner the subscription market. And hence this is where a lot of the sport “is at”. The BBC struggles to secure broadcast rights for major sporting fixtures due to the bidding wars that have come along with the advent of third party broadcasters with much bigger content budgets. Either way, it’s irrelevant to me as “I don’t do sport”. Our household said goodbye to satellite TV circa 2006.
“It really sucks when the internet goes down”. British Telecommunications is my ISP and I live 15 minutes walk from the local exchange/data centre. I pay for a “fibre to the cabinet” internet connection, with the bridging connection being over copper phone lines. The cabinet is at the end of my road. Thus I have a robust connection. I’ve endured one internet outage that lasted under 3 hours, over the last 5 years. I can’t vouch for other countries but in the UK, if you live in one of the major cities, then the internet connections tend to be pretty stable as they have to serve the needs of numerous domestic and business customers. Out in the rural areas it is another story altogether.
“It does not replace the theater experience”. Viewing at home does not replace cinema viewing. I enjoy going to film festivals and the National Film Theatre where audiences are civilised. I don’t miss my local multiplex where often the films are shown out of focus, in the wrong aspect ratio or with the lights still left on. And some audiences just cannot behave. Why go to see a visual, narrative driven medium if you’re going to talk through it or fuck about on your phone (or in my Dad’s case during WW II, someone was sitting in the audience plucking a chicken). In the New Year, we’re buying a 43 inch 4K HDR TV and a new media player that can handle the same format. This may not be comparable to the cinema experience but it’s not far off.
“I still cannot watch exactly what I want on demand”. Despite the wealth of material that is available on streaming services, there’s always something that falls between the cracks and is conspicuously absent. BBC iPlayer has some great, classic documentary series such as Civilisation and Life on Earth. However, Jacob Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man is not available. And it is exactly this which is the Achilles Heel of all streaming services. Content is licensed and therefore comes and goes, which is infuriating. However, there are ways to “address this”. An essential pro-tip is to sign up to a quality VPN service. For example, Netflix has a lot of regional variations. Changing regions enables you to potentially access material you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. And for everything else that you may require that the streaming services cannot provide, all I can say is “seek and the internet will provide”.
So what of 2021? Well, if there is a shortage of new content to watch, I’ll catch up with older material I may have missed such as shows like Justified or I’ll re-watch some classics like The Prisoner. Digital terrestrial network TV produces little to enthral me these days. The BBC tries its best to maintain standards but quality has given way to populist entertainment. And for every robust and well written drama such as Endeavour, the commercial stations in the UK produce twice as many reality shows. But the arguments for public broadcasting are not popular at present and if we give way to untrammelled “market forces”, certain content will decline rapidly. However, I’ll cross that bridge as and when we as a nation come to it. In the meantime, I will use the various means I’ve described above to ensure I have access to suitable material in the year ahead.
A Year in Movies
In 2019, I went to the cinema just once to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I didn’t write a summary of the films I’d seen throughout that year, as I felt that mainstream releases had become far too formulaic and dull. 2020 has done little to change my perspective. The global pandemic has meant that Cinemas have spent most of the time closed and therefore many of this year’s major film releases have ended up on video on demand services. A few titles remain indefinitely postponed, such as the latest Bond movie No Time to Die, while Sony Pictures wait to see if “normality” resumes. But a film that is sitting on the shelf is not a film making money. Hence, Warner Bros. have announced that all their major releases for 2021 will be across multiple platforms simultaneously, thus ensuring a broader flow of revenue. This has not pleased director’s such as Christopher Nolan who argue passionately regarding the merits of cinema. But I doubt Mr. Nolan has ever had to endure an out of focus screening in the wrong aspect ratio at Cineworld, Rochester, where audiences talk and mess with their phones continuously.
In 2019, I went to the cinema just once to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I didn’t write a summary of the films I’d seen throughout that year, as I felt that mainstream releases had become far too formulaic and dull. 2020 has done little to change my perspective. The global pandemic has meant that Cinemas have spent most of the time closed and therefore many of this year’s major film releases have ended up on video on demand services. A few titles remain indefinitely postponed, such as the latest Bond movie No Time to Die, while Sony Pictures wait to see if “normality” resumes. But a film that is sitting on the shelf is not a film making money. Hence, Warner Bros. have announced that all their major releases for 2021 will be across multiple platforms simultaneously, thus ensuring a broader flow of revenue. This has not pleased director’s such as Christopher Nolan who argue passionately regarding the merits of cinema. But I doubt Mr. Nolan has ever had to endure an out of focus screening in the wrong aspect ratio at Cineworld, Rochester, where audiences talk and mess with their phones continuously.
I am passionate about film and cinema. I recognise that seeing a film with the right audience can certainly add to the overall experience. But I only encounter that sort of environment when I go to The National Film Theatre in London or attend a film festival at some niche, arthouse cinema. Viewing at home has the advantage of being in control of both the environment and audience. It is also a lot more cost effective. Audiences are often more forgiving of an average film, when viewed from the comfort of their own home. Their overall opinion may well be different if they’d have to travel to the cinema and pay a higher price in a potentially less pleasant setting. When it was announced that Mulan was to be shown on Disney + for $30, there were initially complaints from some quarters. But once the public considered the cost of taking an average sized family to the cinema to see this movie, then the value of this price became clear. I believe the quick acceptance and uptake of this alternate means of releasing films is highly significant. Perhaps the film industry is finally experiencing a sea-change in its business model. In the same way the music industry did two decades ago.
Shatter AKA Call Him Mr. Shatter (1975)
The closure of the cinemas has not been an impediment to watching quality films. I am constantly amazed by how even the most niche market and obscure titles now get remastered and a Blu-ray or even UHD release. Hence in 2020, I found myself watching films such as Hannibal Brooks, Shatter and The Light at the Edge of the World; all in high definition and a far cry from the pan and scan VHS copies that I originally saw. What times we live in. A quick perusal of forthcoming releases for 2021 show that this trend is increasing. However, rather than focus on the old, I suppose this post should cover some new content. So begin with I like to mention two films that fell wide of the mark but are interesting as they were early examples of big cinema releases going straight to a major streaming service.
Scoob is an origin story for the perennial Scooby-Doo franchise and was obviously intended to launch a new series of movies. The film is inconsistent and alternates between capturing the spirit of the original sixties TV series and veering into modern CGI self indulgence. It’s undemanding fare for children although hard work for adults. However, it proved a success on VOD and certainly pleased Warner Bros with its performance. The World War II naval drama Greyhound was another early release to streaming TV, this time being bought by Apple TV. I think that if this film had been released theatrically in any other year, it would have been a box office failure. Although a tight and technically accurate recreation of naval tactics against submarines, the story has very little character development and Tom Hanks is left with little to do. However, home viewing as opposed to a trip to the cinema, somewhat cushioned the blow of this disappointment.
Host (2020)
However, some films positively benefited by not having to compete with major studio releases at the cinema. His House found a home on Netflix after debuting at several film festivals at the start of the year. This standout horror film covers a lot of ground, offering not only an atmospheric supernatural tale but also an intelligent analysis of UK immigration policy and those fleeing war torn countries. The horror genre has always been a valuable source of social commentary and His House offers both shocks and a chance for reflection upon one of the most divisive subjects of current time. The global pandemic, despite closing cinemas, has also fuelled the creation of home grown horror. Host, a supernatural drama filmed via Zoom, is a prime example of necessity being the mother of invention. Clever, timely and genuinely scary, this is a standout low budget production and a breath of fresh air for the genre.
Despite there now being several vaccines available, I don’t see daily life returning to normal anytime soon. Here in the UK it looks like the New Year will see another period of strict lockdown as we ride out the second wave of COVID-19. As and when cinemas reopen, it will take a long time before I feel sufficiently confident to return to them. Let us not forget that classic scene in Outbreak where the virus is spread via a cinemas air conditioning. And regardless of whether film director’s like it or not, I think we are even closer to same day release across multiple platforms becoming the standard business practise for new films. Finally viewers will be able to see new movies in a fashion that suits their personal preferences. In the meantime, my viewing “to do” list continues to grow bigger and bigger, although it is now predominantly filled with older material rather than just the new. Let us see what 2021 brings.
A Year in Gaming
Retrospective posts such as this can be a sprawling mess. There is also potential to cover the same old ground that I’ve covered in my monthly summaries “A Month in Gaming”. So I’ll try to be as succinct as I can. Firstly I won’t dwell too much on the iniquities of the video game industry as I’ve covered that elsewhere. Let it suffice to say that the notion of the “rock star developer” and the ethical publisher have proven false. Buying a triple A mainstream game is as morally compromised as buying a pair of jeans made by child labour. But let’s not get caught up in ethics. That’s another post. The pandemic meant that I, like many others, had far more leisure time this year and hence I spent that time gaming. It’s been a good year for video games publishers and the revenue has rolled in. Have I had fun while playing more games? Yes. The games have proven engaging and they also provide a lot to write about, so it’s a win, win scenario from my perspective.
Retrospective posts such as this can be a sprawling mess. There is also potential to cover the same old ground that I’ve covered in my monthly summaries “A Month in Gaming”. So I’ll try to be as succinct as I can. Firstly I won’t dwell too much on the iniquities of the video game industry as I’ve covered that elsewhere. Let it suffice to say that the notion of the “rock star developer” and the ethical publisher have proven false. Buying a triple A mainstream game is as morally compromised as buying a pair of jeans made by child labour. But let’s not get caught up in ethics. That’s another post. The pandemic meant that I, like many others, had far more leisure time this year and hence I spent that time gaming. It’s been a good year for video games publishers and the revenue has rolled in. Have I had fun while playing more games? Yes. The games have proven engaging and they also provide a lot to write about, so it’s a win, win scenario from my perspective.
So, what have I played? Let’s start with MMOs.
Star Trek Online: This game celebrated its ten year anniversary this year and celebrated with a lore infused two part story in February which was an utter joy to fans. Sadly the pandemic has somewhat reduced the flow of major story content but there has been further feature episodes produced. I rolled a new character and raised them to level cap by playing events and Task Force Operations. I’m now trying to play through all story missions in order and refamiliarize myself with the narrative arc of the game, which has become confused over the years. I finally achieved my long term goal and obtained a Tier 6 Constitution Legendary Miracle Worker Light Cruiser (a ship that looks like the original Enterprise) and I’m enjoying slowly working towards gear upgrades and advancing in-game systems. When you already have a high end alt that basically has everything available in the game it can become somewhat dull playing that character. Having to start from scratch another is quite challenging. Plus I just love the Trek vibe that is so strong in this game. It covers a multitude of sins.
The Lord of the Rings Online: LOTRO gave away a wealth of content free of charge earlier this year and players returned in droves. And then there were the server outages and the games fortunes took a nosedive. The “mini expansion” was obviously done out of dire financial need but it didn’t help flagging community relations. And then at the eleventh hour developer’s Standing Stone Games were bought out by Enad Global 7 and suddenly a wealth of questions that have been outstanding for the last few years became clear. I have enjoyed the content that I played in LOTRO of late but it doesn seem to be stuck in a rinse and repeat mindset. I’m hoping that a new owner will mean that content will come more often and will be broader in scope. I have a great deal of affection for this MMO and I would like to see it continue, rather than slowly fade away. Let’s see if a Producer’s Letter and a “roadmap” are forthcoming in early 2021.
Neverwinter: I returned to this game briefly for the first time since its beta test in 2013. I enjoyed the hybrid style of action combat and the atmosphere and aesthetic of the game. But it makes that typical MMO mistake of focusing too much on endgame and trivialising the early content. So I have already drifted away.
The Elder Scrolls Online: I started the year playing ESO but as I stated before, you can’t have too many MMOs on the go at the same time or else you end up spreading yourself too thinly and not getting enough enjoyment out of any of them. So I stopped subscribing but briefly returned in June for the Greymoor expansion. Oddly, I wrote a post about Harrowstorms providing a simple guide regarding where they occur and the quickest way to get to them. It proved one of the most popular items I’ve written in 2020.
Dauntless: Not strictly an MMO but it does share a lot of similar mechanics. This is another game that I played during its initial testing period. I returned to find it streamlined, polished and great fun. It is similar to Monster Hunter: World but far more accessible and sociable. It’s well worth a try and has a great art style.
Single player and multiplayer games:
Deathtrap Dungeon: A superb adaptation of the Ian Livingstone adventure book with its branching narrative. An avuncular Eddie Master sits in an armchair and narrates the story while the player chooses text based options. Combat is carried out by the roll of virtual dice. It’s wonderfully old school and an utter breath of fresh air from modern glossy triple A guff.
Call of Duty Warzone/Modern Warfare: I finally returned to the FPS genre after a break of seven or eight years. I bought this reboot of Modern Warfare in April and by that time, Warzone, the Battle Royale version of the game, had just launched. Simply put I had great fun playing up until November and then the next iteration of CoD was launched. Warzone endures but is now weighted towards content from the latest instalment Black Ops: Cold War. Modern Warfare will no longer receive any content updates for multiplayer and its player base will slowly diminish. All of which is an object lesson in the ephemeral nature of video games and the franchise treadmill.
Fall Guys: A fun Battle Royale game? Can there be such a thing? Yes. And Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is just that. I find that if I play this sparingly, then I don’t get too frustrated. It’s amusing to dress up in silly virtual costumes and indulge in what I can only describe as a video game version of Takeshi Castle. However, I still think the game needs some tweaking to adjust certain “human factors”. Plus I haven’t yet won five games in a row and gained a crown. I doubt if I ever will. That peeves me. However, my Granddaughters love this game so I’ll keep it installed.
The Sinking City: Frogwares make the popular Sherlock Holmes games and so The Sinking City shares a lot of the same investigative mechanics. It does have some bugs and not all the mechanics are as engaging as they could be but I really liked this odd, Lovecraft inspired game. It’s very atmospheric. Sometimes a game’s imperfections can be part of its appeal.
Cyberpunk 2077: Let us not discuss the hype surrounding this game or the fickle nature of gamers that projected their own hopes and dreams on to this product. CD Projeckt Red have tanked their own reputation by releasing broken versions for the previous generation of consoles and the game remains controversial. At some point I may write a lengthy blog post on my thoughts on this game, now that I’ve played sufficient to assess it. The short version of that future analysis is as follows. I love the story and the characters because it addresses complex adult issues in a challenging fashion. But I dislike the first person perspective and find that it ruins combat, which is in itself somewhat underwhelming. I never understand why a game that gives you such a rich and varied character creator and then elects to never let you see yourself in-game. Cyberpunk 2077 offers a big, visually impressive immersive world but it is lacking in interaction. It doesn’t feel as alive as the city of Los Santos in GTA V, although it looks better. My advice to those curious about this game is to buy it in six month times when it’s patched and on sale. And adjust your expectations accordingly.
So that’s what I played in 2020. Broadly I had fun. As for next year, I suspect I’ll keep playing games in a similar fashion. MMOs will continue to provide a staple and I’ll try various single player titles as the year progresses. It is customary when approaching the New Year to make predictions and many of my blogging friends will be doing such. I shall now bring the benefit of my fifty three years of “wisdom” to bear on the matter and give my thoughts on what is to come over the next twelve months. Game developers will hype and over sell their products. Gamers will get over excited and partisan debates will divide the community. Some folk will make lots of money and others won’t. Some games will be fun and others will not. Some gamers will be massive assholes, where others will be cuddly and nice. We’ll all keep grumbling but we’ll also keep playing. Finally, no matter how much things change, they will essentially stay the same. And Dwarves will still jump around annoyingly in my peripheral vision while I’m perusing the auction house. See you next year.
A Year in Technology
In my lifetime technology has always been promoted as something that improves our lives, especially at a domestic level. The VCR in the eighties is a prime example of this. It liberated us from having to watch TV at a specific time and place. Then there the personal computer, which brought into our own homes tools, that until that point, had been exclusive to the office. And for all the ill that it brings, the internet has certainly made the world demonstrably smaller. It’s revolutionised shopping and has improved the administration of services. So overall, I still feel that technology is a force for good. However there have been changes. In recent years technology on a domestic level has ceased to be quite as transformative and become more of a disposable commodity. Tech is now a fashion accessory, with a distinct lifecycle and upgrade treadmill. It is fast becoming just another form of superfluous crap to fill your home with.
In my lifetime technology has always been promoted as something that improves our lives, especially at a domestic level. The VCR in the eighties is a prime example of this. It liberated us from having to watch TV at a specific time and place. Then there the personal computer, which brought into our own homes tools, that until that point, had been exclusive to the office. And for all the ill that it brings, the internet has certainly made the world demonstrably smaller. It’s revolutionised shopping and has improved the administration of services. So overall, I still feel that technology is a force for good. However there have been changes. In recent years technology on a domestic level has ceased to be quite as transformative and become more of a disposable commodity. Tech is now a fashion accessory, with a distinct lifecycle and upgrade treadmill. It is fast becoming just another form of superfluous crap to fill your home with.
Take for example the Amazon Echo. Despite the myriad of functionality it offers and which I constantly extol, if you look at my Alexa app on my phone you’ll see I basically use the device as a fancy timer and alarm clock. Do I subscribe to Amazon Music? Yes. Do I use the Echo to play stuff? No. Because it’s bloody inconsistent. I’ll request a tune such as Hangin’ Around by The Stranglers and the standard studio version will be played. I’ll ask again the following day and a live version will be trotted out instead. Requesting more specific permutations just compounds the confusion and leads to a third version being played. Personally I prefer the live recording from the album Live (X-Cert) but that’s not the point. This service should not be inconsistent but more specific. But I digress. My point is I don’t use this device for half of the tasks it’s intended for because it hasn’t quite become the computer in Star Trek yet.
“Hello computer”
Despite having more disposable income this year to potentially spend on fun and larks, to invoke Dickensian parlance, I have broadly avoided buying anything shiny and unnecessary. Instead I’ve just bought what I need. I replaced my keyboard, mouse, headset as they were worn out and I upgraded the SSD and HDD in my PC because I needed more storage space. My XBox controller broke and I tried to fix it but that wasn’t successful, so I got a generic replacement, rather than a Microsoft branded replacement. The only new tech I bought were my and Mrs P’s smart bands and a webcam for Zoom calls, despite Amazon regularly tempting me with numerous promotions. Over the last twelve months I’ve declined to buy an Nintendo Switch, a drone, an Android TV box, a VR headset and many other superfluous items that won’t enrich my life or provide any spiritual enlightenment. Boring old me was content to stick with my Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and my Fire HD 10 tablet.
However, there is one future technological purchase that is currently being expedited due to real world factors. The TV in our lounge is coming to the end of its lifespan and we’ve been planning to replace it for quite a while. It is likely that we will be upgrading to a 43 inch 4K smart TV. As of the 1st of January 2021 the UK will no longer be subject to the EU transition period and instead will be trading on the terms set within the recent Brexit deal. Simply put most consumer electronics are imported in this country or assembled from parts that are sourced elsewhere. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to speculate upon potential delays of new stock entering the country and prices to rise. It seems sensible to purchase a new TV now so it can be sourced from stock currently held within the UK.
For me personally, 2020 has not proven to be a technological nirvana. However, it has certainly played an important part in the UK lockdown. Working from home, remote networks, video conferencing, cloud storage and the like have all meant that businesses and essential services have continued ticking over. Internet access has finally proven that it is as essential as any other home utility service such as water, gas and electricity. Many UK ISPs have now stress tested their infrastructure and found that they can successfully sustain a high user capacity. I’m sure these services will prove equally as important in 2021. But for me, the PC remains the focal point of both my leisure and working endeavours and it’s ever evolving capacity to undertake new tasks is both fascinating and practical. It is the most important technological item in my home and I suspect it will remain so next year and beyond.
A Year in Blogging
Despite the tumultuous events of the last twelve months and the accompanying emotional fallout that has followed in their wake, I’ve managed to keep writing throughout 2020. My output has been somewhat inconsistent this year and I’ve noticed some changes in what I write about. This is inevitable as one’s tastes and focus changes naturally change over time. I’m finding it tougher to write enthusiastically about the video games industry per se, as it has hardly covered itself in glory this year. However, I still enjoy writing film reviews although I haven’t set foot inside a cinema for over a year. I suspect that this will remain the case for much of 2021. My writing has broadened in its scope and I find myself writing social commentary about various aspects of life, rather than just posting articles about my hobbies. Sharing my thoughts on the pandemic itself and “caring for the elderly” has proven very cathartic. But as I’ve stated many times before, writing is one of the ways in which I make sense of the world around me.
Despite the tumultuous events of the last twelve months and the accompanying emotional fallout that has followed in their wake, I’ve managed to keep writing throughout 2020. My output has been somewhat inconsistent this year and I’ve noticed some changes in what I write about. This is inevitable as one’s tastes and focus changes naturally change over time. I’m finding it tougher to write enthusiastically about the video games industry per se, as it has hardly covered itself in glory this year. However, I still enjoy writing film reviews although I haven’t set foot inside a cinema for over a year. I suspect that this will remain the case for much of 2021. My writing has broadened in its scope and I find myself writing social commentary about various aspects of life, rather than just posting articles about my hobbies. Sharing my thoughts on the pandemic itself and “caring for the elderly” has proven very cathartic. But as I’ve stated many times before, writing is one of the ways in which I make sense of the world around me.
There were two writing events that I participated in this year, along with a wealth of other bloggers, live streamers and content creators. Blapril and Blaugust were both designed to encourage writing and other forms of online material as well as promote the work of all involved. Both events were well received, especially in light of the various national lockdowns, which afford all participants more leisure time than usual. The sense of community that these endeavours create, really does help sustain peoples engagement. I certainly produced more material during Blapril and Blaugust and this was mainly due to my interaction with others and the mutual enthusiasm that was generated. Sadly, the death of my father after a period of illness monopolised a lot of my time in late summer and the start of autumn and somewhat sapped my positivity. However, I found adopting a schedule of writing every alternate day, to be beneficial.
2020 confirmed something I’ve suspected for a while. That I get my best writing done in the early morning. For me that usually means between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM. I also find that maintaining a routine really helps. So I get up early, have a shower and make myself a drink and then sit in front of my PC from about 7:30 AM and start writing my thoughts. If I’m lacking ideas, then I check Feedly to see what others are writing about or whether any interesting talking points have emerged. Of course, life doesn’t always allow me to do this. Sometimes I’ll still be typing away after 22:00 out of necessity but I don’t consider that an optimal writing situation. Also, real life conspired against me and I was unable to record any podcasts this year. However, I’m not prepared to let this go so it is something that remains on my to do list for 2021. I may try and gatecrash someone else’s show as a preliminary plan.
It’s been four years since I migrated Contains Moderate Peril over to Squarespace. In many ways this was a complete reset for the website as I couldn’t import all my old posts. So I recycled a lot of the movie reviews as well as long form essays and started from scratch with my gaming commentary. Overall I feel this was a wise decision. I never have to worry about server capacity which was an issue with previous hosting plans. Web traffic continues to grow yearly and having a back catalogue of content is beginning to pay off. There have been several spikes in traffic recently. Talking Pictures TV, a retro UK TV station, shows a lot of “classic films”, many of which I have already written about. Viewers searching Google subsequently find my reviews. It’s the little things like this, along with the robust sense of community that still prevails, that helps keep me writing. My only plan with regard to next year, is to continue doing so.
Goodbye 2019
Last year I tried to write a measured and balanced post about the passing of the year. Sadly this time round my attitude toward the departing 12-month period is somewhat binary. Yes there were a couple of highlights to 2019 but most of it was an uphill struggle and therefore not worth celebrating. It can frankly sod off and won’t be missed. The two high points were my son’s wedding in August and my renewed enthusiasm for blogging that came about due to the Blaugust writing event. But overall 2019 was a repetitive and somewhat depressing grind having to continuously deal with multiple family illnesses, numerous hospital visits and then at the end of the year a bereavement. Yes, these are things that happened to us all eventually and there is no escaping them but I appear to be trapped in this facet of the “circle of life”. Furthermore, until certain situations resolve themselves, I cannot make or implement any long-term plans. 2019 has been in many ways about just treading water.
Last year I tried to write a measured and balanced post about the passing of the year. Sadly this time round my attitude toward the departing 12-month period is somewhat binary. Yes there were a couple of highlights to 2019 but most of it was an uphill struggle and therefore not worth celebrating. It can frankly sod off and won’t be missed. The two high points were my son’s wedding in August and my renewed enthusiasm for blogging that came about due to the Blaugust writing event. But overall 2019 was a repetitive and somewhat depressing grind having to continuously deal with multiple family illnesses, numerous hospital visits and then at the end of the year a bereavement. Yes, these are things that happened to us all eventually and there is no escaping them but I appear to be trapped in this facet of the “circle of life”. Furthermore, until certain situations resolve themselves, I cannot make or implement any long-term plans. 2019 has been in many ways about just treading water.
Sadly, I have no reason to think 2020 will be any different. My personal situation is still complex and filled with trepidation. Both my parents are disabled with deteriorating medical problems. The most one can hope for is to maintain the status quo. Other members of my family are also unwell with conditions that do not have a good prognosis. Beyond my own life I am far from happy with the political situation in the UK at present. I’ve been politically homeless for a while now and it’s very frustrating to be continuously offered a Hobson’s choice at elections and then forced to endure the iniquities of the First Past the Post voting system. As for this nonsense about the country coming together and healing, well that is most certainly not going to happen any time soon. People will have to endure the consequences of Brexit and a majority Conservative government. I do not expect things to go well, nor do I expect any sort of national reconciliation. If anything things will get more partisan and acrimonious.
I will therefore deal with 2020 as I did the previous year and just take it one week at a time. And just because I’m not especially enthused for the coming decade and my personal situation is not exactly how I’d like it to be, that doesn’t give me a license to be a full contact malcontent. There is no need to add fuel to the fire of assholery that abounds in Western culture at present. If anything quite the opposite is true. It is incumbent upon me to be civil, measured and flexible. Not just for the practical reason of greasing the wheels of society but to ensure that I maintain my own state of mental wellbeing. An existential approach to life may well indeed highlight the falsity and futility of so much of what we do but in recognising this there is a degree of peace and freedom. Plus I take great comfort in writing and conversing with my wonderful online friends who hail from all over the world including Purley. So upon reflection although I may not jubilantly declare “Happy New Year”, I am at least prepared for 2020 and ready to repel boarders, so to speak.
A Year in Gaming
Life is often cyclical, if you don’t believe me go watch The Lion King. I started 2018 playing The Lord of the Rings Online and by writing a post about how gamers collectively seem to repeat the same mistakes. And as the year and indeed the decade ends, I find myself once again playing the Yule Festival in LOTRO and reflecting upon how some games that garnered criticism over their egregious business models, have ended up as huge hits. It would appear that gamers are their own worst enemy. I shall leave the psychological analysis of paradox to others. From my perspective, irrespective of the iniquities of the video game industry and certain quarters of the gaming community, it has been a good year, gaming wise. I have enjoyed my time playing MMOs such as Star Trek Online, The Elder Scrolls Online and the aforementioned LOTRO. These and other titles have entertained me, provided me with an opportunity to unwind as well as affording me some much-needed social interaction. I particularly enjoy Wednesday evenings when I log into my Discord server and then chat and play collaboratively with longstanding gaming friends.
Life is often cyclical, if you don’t believe me go watch The Lion King. I started 2018 playing The Lord of the Rings Online and by writing a post about how gamers collectively seem to repeat the same mistakes. And as the year and indeed the decade ends, I find myself once again playing the Yule Festival in LOTRO and reflecting upon how some games that garnered criticism over their egregious business models, have ended up as huge hits. It would appear that gamers are their own worst enemy. I shall leave the psychological analysis of paradox to others. From my perspective, irrespective of the iniquities of the video game industry and certain quarters of the gaming community, it has been a good year, gaming wise. I have enjoyed my time playing MMOs such as Star Trek Online, The Elder Scrolls Online and the aforementioned LOTRO. These and other titles have entertained me, provided me with an opportunity to unwind as well as affording me some much-needed social interaction. I particularly enjoy Wednesday evenings when I log into my Discord server and then chat and play collaboratively with longstanding gaming friends.
In many ways, 2019 was just the same as any other year. If I may quote myself, I wrote on January 1st "it does not seem unreasonable to expect more shitty video games and questionable business practises in 2019” and broadly that has proven true. The video game industry shovelled out yet more substandard products such as Mario Kart Tour, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint and NBA 2K20. All of which are essentially the bare bones games with further content gated behind paywalls and microtransaction. Yet despite the inherent dishonesty of the “pay to start” business model, these titles sold and sold well, thus reminding us that people are the fundamental problem and as a result we get the gaming industry that we deserve. And as for the video game industry itself, it hardly covered itself in glory (again). The latest “trick” seems to be to release a game, get it reviewed and rated and then add an in-game store at a later date. Thus you can avoid any negative publicity during the initial launch window. And then of course there was the Blizzard debacle which raised the inherent dilemma in doing business with an authoritarian country such as China. Oh and “crunch” culture, institutionalised misogyny and general male centric douche baggery still seems to prevail in the industry.
However, 2019 wasn’t all doom and gloom. There are always good titles to be found if you look hard enough. The Untitled Goose Game was an utter joy and certainly seemed to touch a cultural never but in a good way. The Outer Worlds found popular acclaim and seemed to compensate for Fallout 76 as a spiritual successor to that franchise. I personally was very pleased by the arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2 on the PC. Yes, the launch was somewhat farcical and I had to downgrade my PC’s BIOS to play the damn thing but the game certainly lived up to my expectations, with its complex and nuanced narrative. And not all video game developers are corporate monstrosities. Compare 2K or EA to Rebellion Developments and the contrast is obvious. The latter is a company that I don’t feel the need to take a shower after buying one of their games. Plus, 2019 proved that there are still plenty of game bloggers, streamers and podcasters who are interested in producing content in a thoughtful, constructive and engaging manner. Too many subreddits are insular, angry communities that “shit in their own watering hole”. Who needs that when you can find honest and genuine content from gamers who enjoy what they play, rather than recriminate over how they think the community and industry should be?
For me video games continue to provide an entertaining, social and economic leisure activity. They certainly dove tail neatly into my lifestyle and real-world commitments. And so as I await the arrival of 2020, I shall enter the new decade (when framed in such terms it sounds somewhat depressing) pretty much doing the same as I did twelve months ago. I see no reason to stop playing the three MMOs that have been the mainstay of my gaming activities for so long. They are functional and provide both long and short gameplay sessions as well as clear goals. As all these games are relatively healthy from a business perspective, there is regular new content throughout the year. No doubt I will try several single player games in 2020; some of which will be planned purchases where others will be bought on a whim. I may even investigate some of the free titles I’ve acquired from the Epic Store or some of the obscure games I’ve collected in discount bundles over the years. I’m certainly no expecting myself or the video game industry to have any sort of epiphany over the next twelve months. I shall just anticipate more of the same, which after all is life’s default position.
Goodbye 2018
One of the benefits that comes with age (for some people at least), if the gift of realistic expectations. Having reached 51 years, I no longer harbour thoughts that each year will be a rollercoaster ride of excitement, mirth and personal gain. Nor do I count on the stars aligning so that I make my fortune and retire peacefully to the Cayman Islands, to live the life of a tax exile. If New Year’s Eve rolls round and no one has died, I’m not looking at being tried for murder and there’s still gin in the drinks cabinet, then I usually deem the previous twelve months an acceptable year. However, despite even these fairly lose and undemanding criteria I feel compelled to say that 2018 was bollocks and that I won’t be sad to see the back of it.
One of the benefits that comes with age (for some people at least), if the gift of realistic expectations. Having reached 51 years, I no longer harbour thoughts that each year will be a rollercoaster ride of excitement, mirth and personal gain. Nor do I count on the stars aligning so that I make my fortune and retire peacefully to the Cayman Islands, to live the life of a tax exile. If New Year’s Eve rolls round and no one has died, I’m not looking at being tried for murder and there’s still gin in the drinks cabinet, then I usually deem the previous twelve months an acceptable year. However, despite even these fairly lose and undemanding criteria I feel compelled to say that 2018 was bollocks and that I won’t be sad to see the back of it.
Both my parents have struggled with their health and personal well-being. The UK has continued to fracture socially, politically and economically as it embarks upon an act of national self-harm. Globally, international affairs continue to become more bellicose, crass and mean spirited. Yet for some reason, we’re supposed to forget all this at the stroke of midnight and participate in an act of national denial, and lie to each other that it’s all going to be great in 2019. However, humans as a species thrive on hope and I don’t want to be party to denying anyone such. So let’s see if I can muster up some from the depth of my soul and focus upon it to find some sort of positive message for the coming twelve months.
“Yay. We look like a fence”.
You don’t get to pick your family but you can choose your friends. Family can be loving, supportive and an integral part of your life. They can also be assholes, baggage and a never ending source of misery. Friends however are not thrust upon you by the capricious nature of genetics. They are a matter of choice. A friend is someone who knows all your flaws and has seen you when you’ve been as drunk as a sack and a total dick, yet they still keep coming back. Therefore, don’t take them for granted. Also trust them as they can be quite wise. And don’t bother your US friends when they spell words without the required “u”. It’s not their fault. Blame Henry Kissinger or Robert McNamara or someone.
It’s time to do that project or thing you keep telling people that you want to do. So you want to write that book, make your own muesli or provide Dachshunds with stilts? Then grasp the nettle and get going. If something is important you make time for it. No it’s not going to be easy. You may have to do extra work to finance your undertaking. You may have to cut some fun stuff out of your life to accommodate this project. But it’s the only way it’s going to happen. I believe there is wisdom to be found in Yoda’s words when he said “get off your lazy ass and do that shit you keep whining about, co’s I’m tired of your bullshit”. In twelve months’ time, if you get this matter sorted you’ll be pleased that you did. Furthermore you can bore other people about it and revel in your self-righteousness.
“I am an utter anachronism, poor thinker and redundant politician”.
Don’t add further to the angry, confrontational and anti- intellectual malaise that pervades all discourse at present. Or put more simply, don’t be a dick as there’s more than enough of them at present. I appreciate that it’s hard not to be jaded and cynical at present and it’s tempting to jump on the “fuck you” bandwagon along with everyone else. But it really doesn’t solve anything and despite what the tabloids tell you, getting angry doesn’t make you feel better. It’s tough to remain polite, rational and dignified when second rate politicians and fifth rate thinkers such as John Redwood MP are given knighthoods but throwing your toys out of the pram just eventually leads to you turning into that which you revile the most. Count to ten (or ten thousand), stay cool and maintain your own personal moral high ground.
And that’s about it. I really can’t muster up any more positive thoughts than that. I guess as a codicil I’d add something about global warming, eating your greens and the fact that poached eggs on toast remains a cheap and easy meal that is really delicious. 2019 will certainly have its challenges and no mistake. But I’m still going to be here sharing the love (as I so often do) and offering encouragement. There should be another Contains Moderate Peril podcast out soon, you lucky people. So, happy New Year to you all of you. I look forward to reading all those blog posts about stuff you’re not going to do next year, despite the fact I’ve offered sound advice and support. Tread boldly and may your god go with you. If you’re agnostic or an atheist, then yay, Carl Sagan and all that. Okay, I’m off to pour myself another gin. See you in 2019.
